A chance to ride a horse can mean much more than a riding lesson. In this charity spotlight from About Town’s September print issue, meet The Red Barn and learn how its programs and scholarships help children find friendship, encouragement and time in nature.
Founded in 2012 as a family-run operation with one student, it quickly blossomed into serving 100 kids a week with over 100 on the waiting list.
Who They Support
Children who have communication disorders, cognitive impairments, vision impairments, learning disabilities, and other differences that typically cannot participate in the same school-sponsored or community-led extracurricular activities as typically developing children.
The Mission
The mission of The Red Barn is to provide educational, therapeutic, and equine-assisted programs benefiting individuals with disabilities and special circumstances, especially those living in low-income families. The children who participate at The Red Barn feel accepted, loved, and empowered. While learning to make friends, treat animals kindly, and enjoy nature!
Inspiration
Amanda was recently adopted into a loving home after a rough start in life. Her biological family exposed her to a life of drugs, violence, and crime, and as a result, she was placed in the foster care system. Unfortunately, expensive medical care to address a birth defect and the high legal fees associated with her adoption meant that Amanda’s family could not afford the therapeutic riding lessons they knew would help their daughter. Her family could only hope that there were enough scholarships left to give Amanda the opportunity to ride.
Because of a scholarship allowing her to ride horses, The Red Barn is thrilled to report that Amanda’s dream to ride has finally come true, and she began riding lessons at the barn!
How You Can Help
Visit theredbarn.org and give a donation so that more children like Amanda can ride a horse or learn the many ways to volunteer.
Amanda’s story offers a personal look at what access to these programs can mean for a child and a family. To explore ways to support The Red Barn, visit the organization’s website linked above.
For more stories about the people and organizations making a difference in our community, Sign up for the About Town email.
